


Dog People

by jsq



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Making Up, Post-Season 4, puppies!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-07-24 17:43:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7517438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsq/pseuds/jsq
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver isn't a dog person, until he is. And Felicity is completely over him, until she's not. A little season 4.5 fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A pomeranian was licking his face, and Oliver was trying really hard to pretend he was okay with that. It’s not that he actively disliked dogs, it was more that he considered himself neutral on them. On all pets, really. He was Switzerland when it came to animals. As Switzerland, he just preferred to avoid any exchange of bodily fluids.

The yappy little puffball his Chief of Staff had handed him for the photo op clearly did not share his commitment to neutrality.

He’d only been mayor for two months, but he was adept enough at these kinds of appearances to know it would be bad form to ask if he could trade the pomeranian for a less affectionate animal. There were children watching. And reporters. He was just going to have to smile through it. The dog started nipping at his earlobe, which was actually the most action Oliver’d had in quite a while, and some of the reporters took the opportunity to ask a few questions in between photos. It was fine until he saw Susan Williams push to the front of the crowd.

“Mayor Queen, with Star City barely avoiding--for, what, the 4th time--complete annihilation only mere months ago and with worrying damage done to infrastructure and public morale, is this kind of event really the best use of your time?”

“Susan,” he sighed, “I guess there’s still nothing newsworthy happening in Coast City.”

“Not comparatively, no. There isn’t.”

She was a pain in his ass. Not that she didn’t have a point, although it wasn’t exactly the one she was making. He was working day and night rebuilding infrastructure. It was his work as the Green Arrow that was paying the price--he hadn’t suited up since being sworn in. As for public morale, well, that was exactly what events like this were designed to boost. So, he went into his spiel about how The Dog Spot was Star City’s only locally owned pet supply store and how their partnership with the Humane Society to host weekly adoption days was important for promoting local business and ending the city’s homeless dog problem.

He glossed over the fact that city’s homeless dog problem was a result of alarming numbers of citizens fleeing en masse and leaving their animals behind. Stay positive--that was rule number one of being mayor.

Susan was raising her hand again, so Oliver looked around to see if someone, anyone, else had a question he could answer instead, but he’d lost the other reporters to the puppies. Susan smiled at him patiently.

“Yes, Ms. WIlliams?”

“So, as Mayor, will you be setting an example by taking home a stray or two today?”

As if on cue, Oliver felt a warm liquid spread down the front of his starched white shirt. The puffball had peed on him. Susan Williams didn’t even try to hide her laughter, and neither did the dozens of children who were watching the whole thing unfold.

No one respected Switzerland.

oOo

The Dog Spot was kind enough to offer him a t-shirt to change into. It was bright green and sported the store’s poodle logo which didn’t exactly compliment his perfectly tailored gray slacks, but it also didn’t smell like pomeranian piss, so Oliver accepted it gratefully. When he emerged from the backroom he’d changed in, Susan was holding the dog that had just used him as a personal fire hydrant and was filling out some paperwork. He tried to sneak by her unnoticed, but today was really not his day. She handed her clipboard back to the man behind the table and came to stand beside Oliver.

“I’m adopting this one. I like her spirit.” She looked Oliver up and down. “Nice shirt.”

“Thanks. And I think you and that dog are a really good fit for each other. Congratulations.”

She smirked and said, “You really should get one, you know. Dogs are chick magnets, and I hear that’s an area you’ve had far less success in than the Oliver Queen of yore.”

He sighed. “You know, this might be easier if you just came right out and told me exactly what it is you have against me.”

“So anyone asking challenging questions must have some sort of personal vendetta? That’s some pretty thin skin you’ve got there, Mr. Mayor.”

It occurred to Oliver that he didn’t actually owe this woman another second and that he’d more than fulfilled his obligation to this community event. It was time to go back to work. He began to walk away, so he barely heard her next statement over the din of barking dogs and playing children.

“I don’t have anything against you, but I am very curious about how a man who flunked out of four colleges without managing to obtain a degree, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, is the son of the woman who nearly destroyed this city,  and who ran and lost two businesses and hasn’t held a job to speak of since could possibly be made mayor. I know it’s slim pickings for Star City, but wow.”

Oliver pursed his lips and clenched his fists before forcing himself to smile and face her. “Maybe it’s because I know a thing or two about redemption--something Star City needs right now.”

“Maybe,” she shrugged, her expression cold. “Or maybe there’s something more sinister there. You certainly wouldn’t be the first mayor here with a hidden agenda. And even if there isn’t, let’s be honest. With a track record like yours, failure is a near certainty. As much as the public loves redemption stories, they also love it when beautiful people fail. Either way, it’s a good story. And that, Mayor Queen, is really all I’m after.”

Before he could formulate a response, she was leaving the shop, taking her hideous, yapping puffball dog with her. Oliver hoped the thing peed all over her sheets. He looked around to try to gage whether anyone overheard their exchange, and the knot in his chest loosened a little when he realized no one had.

A little, but not completely. Susan was...not a nice person, and she definitely knew how to hit where it hurts. All Oliver wanted--all he’d wanted for the past four years--was to save his city. He’d been doing that as the Green Arrow, and when he was appointed mayor, he’d thought he was just taking on an additional way of helping. But Susan wasn’t lying about his track record and with him having to put vigilante-ing on hiatus it was all starting to feel like a bigger risk than he’d intended to take. Afterall, when he’d originally decided to run for mayor, he’d had his team.

Now he was alone.

Not alone-alone, obviously he had a very competent staff. But none of them were Dig or Thea or Laurel. None of them were Felicity.

And there was that knot in his chest again. Because Felicity was still here, was still Team Arrow. But she wasn’t his. He was having to face the probability that she never would be again.

Javier. That was his name, but Felicity called him Javi. Javi. Oliver hated that name. Oliver hated Javier. An admirable feat when you considered how effing nice Javier was. And not in that over-the-top Ray Palmer way that just begged for mockery, but in a genuine, funny, we should have a beer and watch baseball some time way.

Javier was a photographer who came to Star City on temporary assignment to document “an American city on the rise.” He was also a friend from Felicity’s old neighborhood in Vegas, which Oliver knew absolutely nothing about because he’d never thought to ask. Oliver had been there when Felicity had reunited with her old friend. It had been at Star City Bay--another attempt at revitalization that left Oliver with deja vu. Felicity had been there with Curtis, and Oliver remembered how her jaw had dropped in surprised delight when she saw Javier and his camera. How she’d come running and how, for a split second, Oliver had thought she was running to him. How she’d practically tackled the other man with her hug.

He’d slept-walked through his speech that day and through the subsequent meet-and-greets. He’d kept one eye on Felicity and Javier. They were joking constantly, so relaxed, so genuinely happy to be with one another.

Oliver hadn’t been surprised to run into them together at the next couple of community service events. He’d expected it when Felicity had asked him to lunch the following week to awkwardly tell him that she and “Javi” were “sort of kind of seeing each other.”

In case anyone was wondering, expecting something does not stop it from completely gutting you.

“Here. Give this one a squeeze. Guaranteed to cure what ails you.”

Oliver startled from his thoughts to find Mr. Garrison, the elderly owner of The Dog Spot, holding out a little wheat-colored puppy that reminded Oliver of a muppet.

“Actually,” Oliver said, “I think you might have someone else interested in that little guy.” He pointed to a little girl, ponytail click-clacking with beads, biting her lip and looking hopefully at the muppet puppy.

“You might be right,” Mr. Garrison said. “Well, there are plenty of others here to choose from.”

“I’m not really a dog person.” Oliver was done with Switzerland.

“Nonsense. We’re all dog people. You’ll never find a more loyal companion.” Mr Garrison clapped him on the back before taking the muppet over to the little girl. Oliver watched her eyes light up (like Felicity’s when she saw Javier, he might have thought sourly) as she hugged the puppy close to her chest.

It was pretty sweet, Oliver had to concede. But he really did need to get back to the office. He looked around trying to spot his Chief of Staff, who had disappeared into the crowd. Instead he spotted another dog, not a puppy and definitely not any recognizable breed with his hair all shaggy and a mishmash of mottled colors, crated behind the table where the Humane Society volunteer was stationed.

“Is that your dog?” Oliver asked.

“Dobby? No, he’s not anyone’s dog.”

“Dobby? Like from Harry Potter, right?” The volunteer nodded. “So, why is he not out greeting the people with all the other dogs?”

“Oh, well, he’s not really adoptable. I mean, technically he is, but…. Dobby was feral for a really long time. He’s not really an ideal pet.”

“So what does that mean?”

“Oh, you know, we’ll just take him back to the shelter.”

“Oh. So, he can just live there indefinitely?”

“Ummmm,” the volunteer grimaced. “Not exactly. We’ll keep him for as long as we can, of course, but there are space issues to consider, and well, you know….”

Oliver didn’t know. But he could guess, and suddenly there was nothing more abhorrent to him than the idea of this dog not finding a home. It wasn’t Dobby’s fault he was feral. Dobby hadn’t asked to go through what he’d had to go through. Sure, maybe that made him a little harder to love. Maybe it meant he made a mess of things more than other dogs did, but did that mean that everyone was just going to give up on Dobby? That he was doomed to be alone until he met an early death?

“I’ll take him,” Oliver said.

Maybe he could become a dog person.

oOo

So...Oliver was willing to concede that his decision to adopt Dobby might have been made in haste. Dobby, as it turned out, wasn’t really a people dog. And Oliver really had needed to go back to the office. He probably could’ve stopped back by the loft (which Felicity had returned to him once she’d found a new place to live, which was weird and wrong and a million other unpleasant things that Oliver tried not to think about), but it seemed like dropping off a dog at your empty apartment for god-knew-how-long immediately after adopting him was a pretty shitty thing to do. Oliver had loaded Dobby into the backseat of the town car with him, promising the driver he’d pay for detailing. Dobby had backed to the opposite end of the bench seat from Oliver and then proceeded to lowkey snarl at him throughout the entire ride.

And now here they were, both believing a huge mistake had probably been made. Oliver hadn’t thought to buy a leash or, well, anything, from the pet store on his way out, which meant he had to carry Dobby into his office. Dobby, who didn’t really like him. Dobby, who wasn’t a small dog. At all.

Oliver gritted his teeth and smiled at every person who stopped to gape at their mayor, in a bright green t-shirt and dress pants, carrying an obviously pissed off dog through City Hall.

“Good afternoon to you too,” he mumbled. “Nothing to see here.”

Dobby continued to squirm and bark as they made their way to Oliver’s office, but any time another human would get too close, he would cower into Oliver. That was a sign of attachment, right? It was kind of pitiful and definitely meant that Dobby wasn’t going to be some sort of badass sidekick, but...at least he showed some sort of preference for his new owner?

As soon as they’d reached his office and Oliver was able to secure the door, he let Dobby down. The dog immediately made his way to the farthest corner of the room, and Oliver sat at his desk...then realized he was covered in clumps of hair. He added “he sheds” to the list of things he knew about his pet.

A pet. What the hell had he been thinking?

Dobby caught Oliver looking at him and began barking. The only thing Oliver could do to make him stop was to move out of his line of sight, which wasn’t really going to be able to happen, considering this was Oliver’s office. His office, in which he needed to actually do a lot of work.

And the dog was probably going to want to eat, right? Could he just, like, order him a sandwich or something when he sent for his own dinner? And what about taking him to the bathroom, that was probably going to have to happen, but how was Oliver supposed to do that without a leash? Dobby would just run away. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe the volunteer was right, and he was just too far gone to be with people.

No. No, Oliver didn’t accept that. “I’m not giving up on you. You’re stuck with me now.” Dobby just howled and backed away when Oliver tried to pet him. Not exactly progress, but at least Dobby didn’t seem to be a biter.

“Umm, Mayor Queen,” his secretary paged him.

“Yes, Andre, what can I do for you?”

“It’s just, some people--not me, I’m totally an animal lover--but some others were wondering if, um, the dog in your office would be staying the rest of the evening. And, if so, if there might be a way to get him to stop barking?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mayor Queen. On behalf of those who were asking.”

Oliver rolled his eyes and looked back to Dobby. “You’ve gotta work with me here, man.”

Another howl. Great.

Okay, bring your dog to work day wasn’t a viable option. He could have an intern take Dobby back to the loft, but that just seemed cold. Then another thought occurred to him. It was probably too much to ask, but…. He pulled out his phone.

Oliver, 4:00: How busy are you right now? Would it be terrible of me to ask a huge favor?

Felicity, 4:03: Just finishing up. Which isn’t me saying yes. What’s the favor?

Oliver, 4:03: I got a dog.

Felicity, 4:03: ???????

Oliver, 4:03: He hates me. He’s at work with me now and he won’t stop barking and I have contracts that have to be signed before 6:00, or there are a whole lot of people in this city who won’t be getting paid on time.

Oliver, 4:04: Could you maybe come pick him up and take him back to the loft?

Oliver, 4:04: You still have a key, right?

Felicity, 4:05: I’m on my way.

Oliver, 4:06: Um, could you bring a leash? And maybe stop and buy some dog food?

Felicity, 4:08: I’m having flashback to my days as your assistant. You owe me, Queen.

Oliver, 4:08: I pay in wine.

Felicity, 4:08: Hmph. I never got the last bottle you promised me.

Felicity, 4:09: And who let you get a dog without also getting a leash and food?

Oliver, 4:09: RIGHT?!?!?!?!

oOo

“Oliver?”

He breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Felicity entering his office. “I’m back here,” he called.

“Back wh-? Oliver, what are you doing hiding under your desk?”

“I’m not hiding, this is just where I’m working right now.” He waved a stack of signed contracts in her skeptical face. “If he sees me, he barks. I’ve had to put my phone on Do Not Disturb to stop the phone calls from staff begging me to make him stop.”

“So this whole new pet owner thing is going well, huh?”

“It’s not without it’s challenges.” He accepted the hand she’d held out to pull him up and winced when Dobby, true to form, started barking again.

Felicity looked over at the dog and cringed a little before softening. “He’s not so bad. Are you buddy?” Dobby growled at her and she yanked back the hand she’d reached out to pet him.

“Great. You got a demon dog.”

“He’s not a demon dog,” Oliver said defensively. “He just...has issues.”

“Don’t we all. Why did you get a dog when you’re not a dog person?”

Because I was lonely. The answer took Oliver by surprise, and he chose not to speak it outloud. “I never said I wasn’t a dog person. We just weren’t allowed to have pets growing up. Mother was allergic. Or at least she claimed to be.”

Felicity looked skeptical, but didn’t challenge him. “So what’s demon dog’s real name? I’m assuming Beelzebub is too obvious.”

“His name is Dobby.”

Felicity burst into laughter. “Of course it is.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s just starting to make sense, that’s all. Nice shirt, by the way,” she said, gesturing to his t-shirt. “Okay, Dobby,” she turned to face the barking dog, “let’s get you on this leash. Look, I have a treat. Come get it boy, come on.”

And though he never stopped barking, he did get close enough for Felicity to fasten the leash to his collar. Oliver was impressed.

“That was smart, bringing a treat.”

“Well, I am a genius. I better get this guy home.”

Oliver didn’t want her to leave. “Wait!”

Felicity turned back to him, puzzled.

“I...I meant to ask, how are things going? Has the board made a decision about reinstating you yet?

“I made my final presentation today. It went well. I don’t want to be overly optimistic, but I think my chances are good.”

“That’s great.” Oliver smiled at her, maybe a little bit sadly. “They’d be crazy to let you go again, Felicity. They never should have done it in the first place.”

Felicity ducked her head. “Yeah, well, we’ll see.”

“Keep me posted.”

“Of course.”

She turned to go once again, and once again he found himself wanting to stop her.  “Hey, this may be too much to ask, but, um, if you were willing to maybe hang out at the loft until I got back, I could get you that bottle of wine tonight. I’d even take you to the store, let you pick out the one you want.”

Felicity blushed, and Oliver realized his mistake before she spoke.

“Oh...wow, um, yeah that would be nice, but, um, Javi and I-”

“Of course No, I knew it was a longshot. I just thought it might nice for Dobby to have some company-”

“Right, that makes sense-”

“I’m just feeling guilty, I guess, for pretty much screwing up my first day of dog ownership.”

“If it were any other time-”

“No, enjoy your date. Tell Javier I said hello.”

“Sure! Yes. I will do that.”

“Good. Good. Thank you again, Felicity. You’re the best.”

“Happy to help. Anytime.”

They both sort of leaned in for a hug, but then changed their mind. Dobby was pulling on the leash, and Oliver watched as she stumbled out the door after the dog. He waved when she turned to look back at him before getting in the elevator.

“Thanks again,” he whispered.

Because he was lonely, huh? Well now they were both gone and Oliver felt worse than he had when the whole thing had started.

oOo

Oliver worked later than he needed to. Later than he should have. He had planned to stop and get Felicity’s wine and maybe a few more dog supplies before he went home, but everything was closed. He groaned when he thought about the state the loft was going to be in when he got there. Once upon a time, the Lance sisters had a dog. He remembered Laurel being furious when it ate her favorite shoes and her comforter while she was in class. He was probably going to have to find a way to give Dobby back to the shelter, or at least find him a more suitable home. It meant he’d have to break a promise, but it wasn’t fair to Dobby to try to keep him when Oliver was incapable of providing him with the time and attention to he needed. He hadn’t even bought him food at first, for god’s sake.

Besides, Dobby was just a dog, right? What did dogs care about broken promises?

When he got to the loft, everything was quiet, so at least Dobby had probably gone to sleep. Oliver braced himself before turning on the light, dreading what he might find. He was ready for broken glass and shredded furniture. He was not at all prepared for the sight of a blond ponytail popping up from the couch.

“Felicity?”

“Oliver? What time ‘sit?”

“Almost 11. What are you still doing here?”

She stretched and reached for her glasses on the coffee table. “Dobby and I were having fun.” She pointed at a bright pink tennis ball on the floor. “He loves that thing. We played catch for hours. Turns out he’s not actually a demon dog. I think you got a good one, Oliver.”

The swell of pride and happiness brought on by her words, not mention her presence, was damn near ridiculous. “But what about your date?”

Felicity waved it off. “Meh. There’s always tomorrow.”

And there it was, the hope Oliver thought he’d effectively squashed, roaring right back to life. It was about the dog, not you, he reminded himself.

“Come here, I’ll show you what I did.”

He followed Felicity upstairs, careful not to touch her. If he touched her, he’d be a goner.

“Hope you aren’t opposed to sharing your bedroom with Dobby, because I got him all situated up here. I mean, if you’re going to be a dog person, you might as well go all in, right? Well, maybe not all in. There’s no reason to let him sleep in your actual bed. Not that I have any right at all to say who sleeps in your bed or anything, it’s just that Dobby sheds. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. And that would be gross in your bed, which is, again, none of my business-”

“Felicity.”

“Yes?”

“Take a breath.”

She smiled at their old routine and breathed in. “3, 2, 1. What I meant to say was, ta-da!” She gestured to the corner of the room where Dobby was snoring loudly on a big fluffy dog bed.

It was magenta. Such a Felicity color. He grinned.

“I put a couple of your t-shirts in with him so he’ll get used to your smell. Maybe it will help the bonding process or something. And I might’ve gone overboard with the pink. It’s just that the old guy who worked at the store kept trying to make me buy everything in brown, which such a depressing color and Dobby needed something more cheerful than that. I was going to just get yellow or something, but then the owner made this big deal about Dobby being a male dog and how I should buy him masculine accessories, and, I mean, he’s a dog. It’s bad enough that we force these gendered notions of appropriate colors on babies, but now we’re doing it with dogs too? That’s ridiculous.”

“So in protest you bought everything in pink?”

“Exactly.” She smiled up at him carefully. “Too far?”

“It’s perfect. How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything.” She sounded a little offended.

“Felicity, you came all the way to city hall to bail me out because I decided to get a dog on a whim. You bought all of his supplies. You missed your date to stay and play with him.”

“It was my pleasure. Just, when you get me that bottle of wine, get ice cream too. And maybe, I don’t know, let me hang out with you guys at the dog park some time.”

“You are welcome with us anytime, Felicity.” He meant it. With all of his heart, he meant it.

For a moment she held his gaze. Just for a moment. Then she motioned for the stairs.

“I should-”

“Yeah, it’s late. I’ll walk you-”

“Don’t be silly. I’m fine. Just, text me tomorrow and let me know how Dobby-”

“Of course. And, hey, same with you and the board-’

“Definitely.”

“Okay, Goodnight, Felicity.”

“Night, Oliver.”

From the window, he watched her to her car, then he sank down next to the dog bed and patted the dog gently. He wouldn’t take Dobby back afterall. So he wasn’t a natural dog person? So what? He could learn.

“Played ball for hours, huh? She made you love her, didn’t she? And you were so dead set against humans. Well, don’t take it too hard, boy. She’s just so damn easy to love.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your kind comments on Chapter 1. I've got at least 2 more chapters of this story outlined after this.

Felicity looked up from her her book to stare at the vibrating phone on her coffee table. Okay. Wow. This was it. The call. She stood and tried to shake off her nerves so she could answer without her voice trembling.

“Hello. This is Felicity Smoak.” Not bad; her voice stayed respectably even.

“Ms. Smoak, this Pamela Li from the Board of Palmer Tech. How are you?”

Ugh, Felicity knew who she was. Why was this woman going to torture her with small talk. “I’m well, Ms. Li. How are you? I assume you’re calling because the Board has made it’s final decision?”

“We have.”

Felicity waited, but *crickets*. Seriously?

“And?” She asked, hoping it wasn’t too obvious that she was speaking through gritted teeth.

“And we were very impressed with your presentation. We feel we acted in haste last May. We’re on board with your vision for the future of Palmer Tech, and we would like to welcome you back as CEO.”

Felicity allowed herself some celebratory jumping and a few fist pumps before answering as coolly as she could manage under the circumstances, “I’m glad to hear that Ms. Li. I look forward to resuming my position with the company.”

The other woman went on for a few more minutes about contract stipulations and logistics, but Felicity could barely pay attention.She was getting her life back. Finally. When she hung up, she indulged in a victory dance that would’ve made Donna Smoak proud, then she picked her cell back up and called the first person who came to mind.

“They reinstated me,” she squealed as soon as he answered.

“Palmer Tech? Yes!”

She pictured him doing his own fist pump and grinned.

“Not that I had any doubt; they would’ve been crazy not to bring you back in.” The last part was muffled by barking in the background. “Hey, are you at home?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, great, wait there. Dobby and I are in the neighborhood, and we want to bring you your thank you gifts...and a congratulations gift.” He paused for a moment and when he spoke again, it was with much less certainty. “I mean...if now’s a good time. If you don’t have company or other pl--”

“Now’s good.” That might have sounded too eager. Was she too eager?

“Great! Okay. We have two stops to make, but we’ll be there in twenty.”

“Perfect.”

“Bye, Felicity.”

“See you soon, Oliver.”

oOo

Felicity saw them coming from her living room window. Not that she was watching for them or anything. It was a nice day--why wouldn’t she want to have the windows open? And if you’re going to have the windows open, you’re going to look out of them from time to time with absolutely no ulterior motive. Sheesh.

So, anyway, she saw them coming and it was pretty hilarious because Dobby (with his pink leash and collar, which looked fabulous on him, if she did say so herself) was pretty much dragging Oliver down the street. And woe to any bystander who might try to get too close to the now-famous pair. Felicity laughed as Dobby circled Oliver, bravely fending off a tiny elderly woman who tried to speak to the mayor. Local blogs were full of photos of Mayor Queen being tripped up by a pink leash as his dog stared down anyone in a 500 foot radius.

Oliver had a protector. Felicity loved it.

She was holding the door open for them when they arrived at her townhouse. As soon as they were inside, Oliver dropped the leash and Dobby took off--no doubt casing the place for threats.

“I guess he doesn’t hate you anymore.”

“The Queen charm--it gets them every time.”

Felicity rolled her eyes and pointed to the paper bags under Oliver’s arm. “You said you were bringing gifts. Gimme.” She grabbed at them, but he dodged her.

“Patience, Ms. Smoak. I didn’t get to wrap these, so at least let me present them to you with as much ceremony as possible.” Before he could begin, Dobby ran by, fur flying, heading for the stairs. “I guess he’s cleared the ground floor and now needs to check out the bedrooms. Do you want me to call him down?”

“He’s fine. No more stalling; present time!” Felicity sat on the couch and motioned for Oliver to start.

“We begin with the gifts of appreciation for your very timely assistance with Dobby last week. Your ice cream, my lady.” He handed her a tub of mint chip with a bow.

“Excellent choice of brand.”

“Yeah, I distinctly remember that night I tried to buy the store brand and you said, and I quote, ‘You can get Blue Bell, or you can not bother coming home’.”

“Generic ice cream is completely unacceptable.”

“So I learned. Now, for the second thank you gift.” He held out two bottles of wine.

“Come to me my preciouses.” She grabbed the bottles from him, but froze when she saw the label. “Oliver, this is-”

“The Rothschild I promised you. I may not do it in a timely manner, but I always deliver on my promises.”

“But how did you-”

He winked at her, and maybe her heart fluttered a little, but it was probably just the because of the wine. No, definitely because of the wine. The wine was what was exciting here.

“Never underestimate me. And now for your congratulations gift.” He started to pull the item out of the bag, then stopped with a grimace. “Okay, in retrospect, I probably should’ve saved the wine for last. Keep in mind that this was a spur of the moment purchase. And that I had to leave Dobby tied up to a post while I bought it, which meant I had to act quickly.”

“Lay it on me, Queen. I’m ready.” She felt herself flush at his raised eyebrow. “You know what I mean,” she mumbled.

She sort of loved the way his whole demeanor shifted from cocky to adorably nervous as he handed over her final gift. She burst out laughing when she saw what it was--a lime green coffee mug with the words “World’s Greatest Dad” written in bold black letters. Only, Oliver had taken a permanent marker, scribbled out “Dad” and written “CEO” in its place.

“This is perfect.”

“It’s ridiculous.”

“I will cherish it.”

She was saved from coming up with a way to convince herself to stop grinning at him like a goober by Dobby bounding back down the stairs. The dog went straight to Oliver, nudging his leg and whining until his owner gave in and pulled the tennis ball out of his jeans pocket. Dobby snatched it out of his hand and whirled around to sit expectantly in front of Felicity.

“You don’t have to,” Oliver told her. “Although you did create this particular monster.”

Felicity leaned down to rub Dobby’s head. “You want play, boy? Of course we’ll play.” She glanced around her house, so much more cluttered than the loft. “Just, not in here.” She smiled up at Oliver. “Mind if we head out to the courtyard?”

“Lead the way”

oOo

Felicity and Oliver stood side-by-side under the maple tree, taking turns tossing the ball for Dobby to fetch. They had the courtyard to themselves. A couple of teenagers had tried to join them, but Dobby had cowered up against Oliver, popping his head around to growl at the teens until they left.

“We’re still working on his manners. I tried enrolling him in one of those doggy training schools, but he got kicked out.”

Felicity was offended on Dobby’s behalf--the dog had only been home a week; they should have given him more of a chance. But she was also amused. “He’s already been kicked out of school? You do realize you got the dog version of yourself, right?”

“If by that you are referring to Dobby’s intelligence, good looks and athletic prowess, then yes, I think you’re right.” Oliver took the ball from Dobby’s mouth and handed it to Felicity. “You take the next few throws. I’m afraid I’m going to tear a rotator cuff or something.”

“What was that about athletic prowess? I don’t know Oliver, I think your night work hiatus is making you soft.”

He caught Dobby as the dog ran back to them. “Did you what she said, man? And this is the only other human you’re willing to associate with?”

“He has good taste in women.”

“Another way he’s like me.”

Felicity threw the ball extra hard, then looked skeptically at Oliver. “Is now the time for me to start naming your ex-girlfriends? I think you’ll find that I’m a statistical anomaly.”

They stayed quiet for a while after that. Too soon, Felicity thought. The boundaries of their friendship were nebulous at best, and neither of them was ever sure when they’d pushed too far.

It was Oliver who broke the silence. “About our night work….”

“Yes?” She whipped around, not even trying to hide her hopefulness. Now that she had her day job back, she wanted her night job back too. Badly. “Are you ready to suit up again? I’ve been watching the police scanner and crime is on the rise.” She realized she sounded a little too excited about that. “Not that it’s a good thing. It’s just that we can do something about that, if you’re ready.”

Oliver gave her his I’m-about-to-disappoint-you-even-though-I-hate-disappointing-you face, and her stomach dropped.

“Oh. Guess you’re not ready.” She kissed Dobby and tossed the ball again. This dog never tired out.

“It’s not that I’m not ready. I am...more than ready. I’m hearing the same reports you are, and my schedule is finally evening out, but I have to be careful. There are a few reporters who are practically stalkers, watching my every move, waiting for the smallest slip.”

“Ugh. So I take it Susan Williams hasn’t gone back to Coast City yet?”

“No, and I wish she would.”

“I understand,” Felicity said. She bit her lip. “I just...miss it.”

Oliver smiled at her. “I don’t think people realize just how much of an adrenaline junkie you actually are. But, yeah, I miss it too. We’ll get back there. Soon.”

Always the optimist, Felicity added brightly, “And Dobby can be our lair dog!”

“Right. A dark room full of expensive equipment and deadly weapons is the perfect place for Dobby.”

Felicity turned down her lip and pointed to the dog in question who had momentarily forgotten about the ball to chase a butterfly. “You can’t leave him alone all night. Your bond is too fragile.”

“Our bond is made of steel, I’ll have you know. But...you might be right.”

“He can keep me company while I’m on comms.”

“No way,” Oliver protested. “Where I go, Dobby goes.”

“Right, because he’s such a fighter.” Dobby had been frightened off his butterfly chase by a big, scary squirrel. “Besides, the whole city knows about Mayor Queen’s anti-social dog. Your pictures are all over the internet. He’d blow your cover.”

“So we get him a mask. Stop trying to steal my sidekick.”

Felicity shook her head and tossed the ball again to distract Dobby from the squirrel. It was getting kind of late. She tried to sneak a look at her phone, but Oliver caught her.

“Plans?”

“Oh,” she stammered. “Just...you know.”

“Javi.”

“Yeah.”

Oliver’s face stayed completely neutral. “Well, Dobby and I should get going anyway.”

“You don’t have to. You could stay.” Oliver looked at her like she was a crazy person, and fair enough. What had made her say that? Of course, this didn’t have to be weird. She was a friend, asking another friend to join her and her boyfriend. What was the big deal, right? Javi had mentioned wanting to spend more time with her friends, and he’d liked Oliver the couple of times they met, so why not? This was actually a very mature thing for her to do. Proof that she and Oliver were in such a good, friendly place right now.  
“Felicity?” Oliver was waving his hand in front of her face. She must have zoned out for a minute there. “I think Dobby and I are just going to go.”

“No.” She grabbed his arm and held on tight.

What were her mouth and body doing? He’d given her an out, and she’d just doubled-down.

“I mean...you could definitely stay. It would be fine. We don’t have big plans or anything, just, you know Netflix and chill. Although, that’s supposed to be code for sex right? That’s...we’re not having sex. Yet. Because we’re taking it slow.”

Oliver’s jaw dropped, but she just could not stop herself.

“Not that you need to know that, or it’s any of your business. Or...I mean, we will have sex eventually. Maybe tonight! Not if you’re here, obviously. Not that you would be interrupting anything if you stayed, that’s not what I mean at all.”

Oliver was now choking and Dobby was at his side, snarling at her like she’d caused it. Which she had, actually.

She threw her hands over her face. “Oh my god, Oliver how am I still talking? Why aren’t you stopping me?” She peeked out at him from between her fingers, and he was bright red...but also looking a little too self-satisfied for her tastes.

“I wouldn’t even begin to know how to interrupt what I just heard.”

“Can we start the conversation again?”

Oliver laughed. “Can we not? Look, we’re going to go. We’ll hang out altogether another time. I’m sure Javi will have something special in mind to celebrate your big news.”

Right. Javi would probably want to celebrate with her...that is, if she had thought to tell him her big news. What was wrong with her?

“Are you okay?” She could hear the concern in his question.

“I...I’m fine. Sorry. No, you’re absolutely right. We’ll do it another time.”

“Sure.” She noted that his tone wasn’t as up for it as his words would imply.

“Bye Dobby.” The dog had decided Felicity was okay again and let her pet him. “Bye Oliver.”

“Bye, Felicity. Congratulations again. Have fun tonight.”

“Thanks.”

They were halfway across the courtyard when Oliver turned to yell back at her, “But maybe not too much fun, okay?”

oOo

It was about a half an hour later when Javi arrived with Thai takeout. Felicity most definitely did not spend that half hour pretending that there wasn’t a dull ache in her chest because Oliver and Dobby were gone and she didn’t know when she would see them again. Nope, that would’ve been ridiculous. Although, a friend could feel that way about a friend, right? She missed Dig like crazy, didn’t she? So maybe it wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world if that had happened. Which it didn’t.

Javi began opening containers of Thai food, and Felicity grabbed a fork, but backed away when she saw what he’d ordered.

“You got pad thai.”

“Yeah,” he looked at her, puzzled. “Do you not like it? It just seemed like the safest bet. Everyone loves pad thai.”

“Right, no, I’m sure it’s delicious; it’s just that I’m allergic to peanuts.”

Javi put his hand to his mouth. “I am so sorry. How did I forget that? I remember that time in Calculus when Mr. Napier brought in those brownies and they had to epi pen you at your desk.” He came over to hug her. “I feel so stupid. I’ll order you a pizza.”

“No, it’s fine. Look- you also got spring rolls. I happen to adore spring rolls. I’ll just eat those.”

“It’s not enough.”

“I had a late lunch. It’s totally fine.” Plus she had a gallon of ice cream waiting for her, so it would all work out.

Javier was skeptical, but he let her lead him over to the couch so they could pick a movie. “Um, Lis, did you get a dog?”

“What?” But then she saw that he was wiping Dobby’s hair off his jeans.

“Sorry about that. Dobby was here, and he is a shedder.”

“Dobby?” Javier grinned his incredibly swoon-worthy grin. “The dog you stood me up for last week?”

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

He leaned in to kiss her, but she held up a hand, then pointed to his plate. “You’ve had peanuts in your mouth.”

“Right.” He settled back onto the couch. “So, Dobby needed an emergency babysitter again, huh?”

Yes, was almost her automatic response, but she stopped herself. She wouldn’t tolerate lies in a relationship. Even small ones. Felicity wanted Javier to know she could always be trusted. “Actually, no. Oliver came by and had Dobby with him. He wanted to bring me gifts--to thank me for helping out last week.” And if she was going to tell the truth, it might as well be the whole truth. “And to congratulate me; Palmer Tech reinstated me as CEO.”

Javier looked a little taken aback, but then genuine happiness was in his eyes. “That’s great. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks. I was going to call you about it before you got here, but-”

“You were busy with Oliver and his dog.”

“The dog mostly,” Felicity was quick to respond. “He loves to play catch. Dobby, not Oliver. Obviously. I took him out to the courtyard.”

“Seems like you really like Dobby.”

“He’s a pretty great dog.” Were they having a sub-conversation? Because it felt like maybe they were a little.

“Maybe you should get one of you own.”

Panic alert. How was she supposed to answer that if this was a sub-converstation? She was being silly. They were talking about dogs. And she would answer honestly. “Maybe....but I don’t know, I don’t think I’m really a dog person. I just like Dobby in particular.”

“You’re not a cat person, are you?” Javi’s face was filled with mock-horror, and Felicity relaxed. See? They were fine.

“Definitely not. I think I’m more of a turtle person, actually.”

“Good to-” They were interrupted by his phone ringing. He held up a finger for her to wait a minute.

He started walking around the living room; she’d already noticed the way Javi walked in circles while he talked on the phone. “Looting, where? Do you think it’s a riot?”

Felicity started paying more attention to Javi’s end of the conversation.

“What’s happening?” She mouthed. He held up another finger.

When he hung up he answered, “There’s looting downtown. Gunshots reported. I need to get down there and get some photos.”

“Wait, I thought you were here to document the rebuilding of Star City.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I ignore the bad things that happen. Rebuilding always has challenges and that’s part of the story--” His phone rang again. “Hold on one sec, Lis, I have to take this.”

Felicity grabbed her own phone.

Felicity, 7:42: You know about the looting downtown?

Oliver, 7:42: Yes. Stay in your house.

Felicity, 7:42: Will there be an appearance by anyone in green?

Oliver, 7:43: Seems unlikely. Heading into a meeting with chief of police now.

Oliver, 7:43: I meant it about staying put.

Felicity slid her phone into her pocket and tried to mask her disappointment. Of course the mayor would be needed tonight. That trumped the Arrow; Felicity understood. Javier finished his call.

“Lis, I’m sorry about our night, but I have to go.”

“I understand.” She was a model of understanding today.

He smiled at her gratefully and bent down to kiss her. This time he stopped himself. “Peanuts.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Sorry.”

He nuzzled the top of her head. “Call you later?”

“Actually...what if I came with you? I know the city better than you, maybe I could help you find the best routes or something if there are roadblocks.” Oliver would not be happy. Not that he would ever find out. And who cared if he did? Oliver Queen was not the boss of her.

Javi looked surprised, but nodded in agreement. “Sure, if you’re up for it.”

A little thrill of excitement chased away her earlier disappointment. “Let’s take this date on the road.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on vacation, so there won't be an update next week, but expect Chapter 3 the week after.


	3. Chapter 3

It was 7:00 AM on Saturday morning, and Oliver was...bored. He hadn’t experienced boredom since life before the island, and it made him twitchy. No matter what, he wasn’t going to City Hall today. He’d practically lived there since taking office, but in the days since the downtown riots, he and Dobby had actually been sleeping there. The city was settled again, though Oliver knew it needed the Arrow. Team or no team, it was time.

But not at 7:00 AM on a Saturday morning, so Oliver was still at loose ends.

Dobby raced into the kitchen where Oliver was finishing off his coffee, slid to face him and then howled. For no discernable reason.

“Come on, buddy. It’s too early for this.”  

More howling.

“Man, I’m bored too, but you don’t hear me crying about it.” Oliver crouched down to rub Dobby’s ears. “You know, this is partially your fault. We’d be on our way to dog training school right now if you hadn’t gotten us kicked out”

Running in frantic circles was added to the howling. Not good-- frantic circles were part of the build-up to a full Dobby meltdown. Oliver would do pretty much anything to prevent a full Dobby meltdown.

“We could...clean?” Oliver looked around the loft. They’d barely been there, so there really wasn’t much to clean. Except for the massive clumps of Dobby’s hair all over the place, but that was futile. You’d put the broom away and it would all reappear like it could regenerate or something. “The make robot vacuums now, don’t they? I’m definitely buying us one of those.”

Dobby was uninterested in robot vacuums, and Oliver needed to make a move before the dog started leaping between circles and all hope was lost. To buy himself some time, he started singing “My Heart Will Go On” (Look, it calmed the dog down, okay? Oliver would go to his grave never revealing how he’d discovered this particular piece of information.). The circles slowed and the howling got softer. When Oliver pulled out the leash and tube of hot pink tennis balls, Dobby collapsed gratefully at his feet.

“We can check out the new dog park we commissioned on Lotus. I’m the mayor--I should make sure taxpayer dollars were put to good use, right?” Dobby gave exactly zero damns about taxpayer funds; he nudged impatiently at the leash. “Calm down, man, I’m taking you to the dog park. And hey, you know who lives near Lotus, right? Felicity.” Dobby yipped at the familiar name. “That’s right. We should see if she wants to join us, shouldn’t we?” He fastened the leash and pulled out his cell.

Oliver, 7:10: Dobby and I headed to the park on Lotus. Interested in joining?

He waited. And waited. It was early for a Saturday, but Felicity never slept in. At least she hadn’t while she was with him. Which she wasn’t anymore. She was with Javier. She’d probably been out with him last night. She was probably still with him this morning. Oliver felt a little sick. He was an idiot to have texted her. The howling started again.

“Yeah, man, I know how you feel.” Pushing down his disappointment, Oliver forced a smile. For Dobby. He fastened the leash and was leaving the loft when his phone buzzed.

Felicity, 7:25: Yaaaassss. Give me an hour.

“Why do you think she needs an hour, Dobby?” Probably because the date Oliver had decided she’d had last night with Javier had ended in a sleepover at that stupid extended-stay hotel Javier was staying at on the far side of town. Oliver hated that hotel. Did the city even really need an extended-stay hotel? He should check into the permit codes for that place. “Just because she maybe-probably slept over doesn’t mean they had sex, you know.”

Dobby snorted. Even the dog knew he was delusional.

“But she’s still coming, isn’t she?” Oliver held up his hand expectantly. Dobby ran and hid under the table.

“Bet high fives are something you would’ve learned in dog school,” Oliver called after him.

oOo

The dog park looked great. Before, the area had been a sort of no-man’s land separating the Glades from West Star City. It had never come back from the Undertaking. In his first days as mayor, Oliver had put revitalizing the Lotus Avenue area on his priority list and investors and volunteers came together quickly to create a dog park and playground. The playground even had an old fashioned carousel like the one that had stood downtown when Oliver was a kid. Raisa would take him there on Saturdays--he always chose the zebra, and he never got tired of it. He wanted memories like that for the children of his city.

Dobby was not as charmed by the new park as his owner. Sure, he’d been excited enough when Oliver reminded him of the tennis balls, but as they’d approached the brightly painted gate to the dog park and Dobby got a closer look at all the happy dogs inside, he was having none of it. He found the nearest maple tree and cowered behind it.

“Come on, man. I thought we were past this.”

They weren’t.

Oliver was still trying to coax Dobby into the park when he heard someone behind him say, “Look! It’s the mayor!” Soon after a small crowd wanting photos started to form...which at least spurred Dobby out from behind the maple. Unfortunately, where he went instead was right between Oliver’s legs so he could growl at all the unwelcome strangers from relative safety. Dobby was losing his edge because the crowd just laughed and snapped photos.

Oliver looked forward to seeing the “Mayor Queen Rides Insane Dog Through Park” blog posts tomorrow.

The onlookers got bored after a few minutes and Oliver was able to coax Dobby over to a bench outside the dog park for a pep talk. He took his buddy’s slobbery face in his hands and looked him dead in the eye.

“You got this, Dobbs. Look at those other dogs out there. You’re the biggest. You’re the fastest. You are definitely the hairiest. And you’ve got me. There’s nothing to fear, man. We’re just going to go in there and play with our pinks balls like we own the place.”

“Please, please tell me I can quote you on that.”

Oliver looked up at the woman standing in front of him. Definitely not the the woman he’d been hoping for. And she had the pomeranian. Dobby snarled. Once again, Oliver would’ve liked to high-five him.

“Susan. Always a pleasure running into you. Enjoying a morning at the park?”

The reporter took a seat next to Oliver on the bench, settling the demonic puffball on her lap. “Rita and I were just finishing up, but now we might have to stick around to see what you do with your pink balls.”

Oliver didn’t take the bait. “Rita?”

Susan held up the pomeranian. “Full name, Rita Skinner. Like the Harry Potter character. The reporter from the-”

“Daily Prophet. I know.”

Susan looked genuinely impressed. “You contain multitudes, Oliver Queen.”

“Finally you admit it. Well, good running into you Susan, but Dobby and I should get into the park.”

Susan raised an eyebrow at Dobby, who was still snarling, but had also shoved himself into a little ball under the bench, sort of killing the effect. “Yeah, I don’t think that one’s going anywhere. You should consider putting that thing on Xanax.”

Oliver did not like this woman talking about Dobby like that. “Well, you should put _that_ thing in Depends.”

Susan laughed. “Oooohhhh. Burn.”

“Find another bench. I”m trying to enjoy my Saturday.”

Unperturbed, Susan said, “You know, if you’d just tell me what your agenda is for being mayor, I’d write my story and be on the first train back to Coast City. It’s going to come out sooner or later, and I’m ready to go home. I don’t know how you people live with this constant cloud cover.”

“You’re wasting your time. There’s no story. I have no agenda other than loving my city and wanting to help.”

“Nope. Not buying it.”

“Why not?” He really didn’t get it.

“I know men like you. Selfish, reckless. I’ve never bought your ‘I came back from a deserted island a changed man’ schtick. Presumed dead or no, people don’t change.”

Oliver actually felt a little sorry for her. She was a thorn in his side he could really do without right now, but she must have been burned pretty badly somewhere along the way to have such a bleak outlook on human nature.

Which was saying a lot, coming from him.

“You’re going to be disappointed, Susan.”

She removed her sunglasses from the top of head and put them on. “No, you’re going to be exposed, Oliver. Let’s go, Rita,” she called to her dog.

As she walked away, Oliver felt the tiniest flicker of concern, but he shrugged it off. Susan Williams was on the wrong track. His secret was safe. “We can handle her, right?” He bent down to look under the bench at Dobby. “And get out of there, man. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“Hey Oliver,” Susan called as she left, pointing toward the path to the park. “Isn’t that the one who got away?”

Oliver followed Susan’s finger to a woman with a blond ponytail and big teal sunglasses. His irritation melted away. Felicity. Dobby spotted her too and took off running. Oliver followed, ignoring Susan’s snickering and her sarcastic “Good luck with that.”

When he reached them, Felicity had her arms around Dobby and was snuggling him enthusiastically.

“Oh, I’ve missed you too, boy,” she was saying. “I have.”

Oliver watched them together, smiling. Felicity noticed him and raised an eyebrow.

“Was that the evil reporter you were talking to over there?”

“She haunts me.”

Felicity laughed and stood, and they did this awkward sort of dance over how to greet each other until Felicity finally just leaned in for a quick hug. Oliver squeezed her tightly.

“It feels like it’s been forever since I saw you guys,” she said as she pulled away.

“Five days.” Or four days, fifteen hours and--Oliver glanced at his watch--28 minutes. But who was counting?

“Are you worried about more trouble downtown?”

Oliver shook his head. “It’s under control.” He didn’t want to talk about work, but since any questions he could think to ask her would probably yield answers he wasn’t ready to hear, he held up the tennis balls. “Let’s see if you have better luck than me getting my man here into the park.”

oOo

Felicity was able to coax Dobby into the park. She had his dog thoroughly wrapped around her little finger. They were doing okay--throwing the ball, chatting occasionally about safe, neutral topics--until a miniature doberman decided she wanted to befriend Dobby. The tiny dog trotted over to Dobby and tried to race him to one of the pink balls. Dobby responded by yelping, leaping nearly a foot in the air, and racing back to have Oliver protect him from the miniature menace.

He plowed into Felicity on the way, knocking her to the ground.

Oliver had been amused by the whole thing until then. He was by Felicity’s side in an instant, helping her up and handing her the sunglasses that had been knocked off in the fall.

“I’m so sorry. Are ok--” And then he saw her face and the world turned red.

When he could finally force air into his lungs again, he ground out, “What. Happened.”

He watched her features changed as she realized what Oliver had seen. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing,” Oliver said, raising a shaking hand to gently probe at the swollen skin around her left eye. The bruise was turning green, which meant it had happened several days ago.

She’d been hurt several days ago. And she hadn’t told him.

He recognized the marks made by a knuckle connecting with the face. Someone had had done this. Someone had hit her. He wanted to know who. He wanted to make them hurt too.

“How? Who?”

Felicity bit her lip, then sighed. “You have to promise not to get mad.”

Oh, he was beyond mad. His every heartbeat was pure rage at this point. “Felicity-”

“Because it’s not a big deal. I barely felt it. And, it was a riot, so these things happen, right? I couldn’t even tell you exactly what the guy looked-”

“A riot? You went? Felicity, why would you do something so stupid? I told you stay put!”

She wasn’t biting her lip anymore. Anger flashed in her eyes..or at least in the unswollen one that hadn’t been pummeled when she completely ignored him and stupidly walked right into the middle of a very dangerous situation.

“Yeah, and I chose not to listen to you because I am a grown woman and you, Oliver Queen, are actually not my father.”

“You could have been killed, Felicity. What were you thinking going into a situation like that alone?”

“Stop being so dramatic, Oliver, no one was killed. And I wasn’t alone. I was with Javi.” She winced and threw her hand over mouth once she realized what she’d said.

“WHAT?” He roared. Yes, he was roaring right now. And Dobby was barking and jumping and everyone was staring, and he did not give a fuck, because he could not believe what he was hearing. And he’d thought Javier was harmless.

“Calm down,” Felicity hissed, grabbing his arm and pulling him over to a more secluded area of the park. Dobby trailed behind, walking backwards and growling at anyone still staring. “Look, Javier was called to photograph the riot. We were in the middle of a date.”

“So he thought it would be romantic to drag you along,” Oliver whisper-yelled.

“No, I asked to go. I could help him navigate the blocked streets...and, I don’t know...help.” Oliver started to interrupt, because that was crazy talk, but she held up her hand and continued. “Which I did, actually. There was a teenage girl who’d been caught at the library. She was just trying to get home. I spotted her from the edge of the crowd--where I was staying because I am not, contrary to what you apparently believe, a complete idiot--and I saw this guy trying to take her computer. She was just a kid, and he was a grown man!” She paused and shook her head, like she still couldn’t get over the injustice of it. “So, I ran over, and you know...shoved him. Which,” she rushed to add seeing Oliver again ready to comment, “I’ll have you know worked and the girl got away. And I got punched by the asshole computer thief. But it barely even hurt and I put some ice on it, and now it’s fine. Just a little green. And I know how you like green,” she smiled and nudged him.

He would not be charmed.

“I will find the man who hit you on the video footage, and he will be getting a visit from the Green Arrow.” He ignored Felicity’s rolled eyes. What that man had done deserved consequences. “And so will your boyfriend.”

“Cut that out, Oliver. You’ll leave Javi alone. This wasn’t his fault. He actually cried when he saw I was hurt.”

Oh, he was going to cry. “Your boyfriend,” Oliver said--he was done using his name, “needs to understand that you matter a lot to a lot of people and that you are not to be put in harm’s way.”

Felicity’s laugh was swift and harsh. “Do you hear yourself, Captain Caveman? I make my own choices. No one forces me into ‘harm’s way’ and that includes the times I am most frequently in danger, which are with you and you know it.”

She had been moving closer to him as she talked, and they were nearly nose to nose. The proximity did funny things to his head. And other parts of him. He stepped back and raked a hand through his hair.

“We’ve upset Dobby. Look at him.”

Oliver’s heart tugged when he saw his dog whimpering and shaking. He was really afraid right now. What the hell had this dog seen? He added Dobby’s previous owners to his growing list of people who needed to learn a lesson about consequences. He carefully made his way to Dobby until the dog was calm enough to let Oliver wrap his arms around him.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” he whispered. “We won’t fight again.” Looking up at Felicity, he said, “You have a point. You make your own choices.”

She looked surprised, but recovered quickly. “ Exactly. Thank you.”

“And since the city needs us to get back to that work,” he watched a huge grin spread across her face, “on top of the fact that your choices often laugh in the face of reason and personal safety,” the grin turned to a glare, “Team Arrow is getting back to work Monday evening.” She squealed and started clapping. “The Green Arrow’s first order of business will be to resume Overwatch’s long overdue self defense training.”

The clapping stopped.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Dig to come back? He was the one training me before.”

Oliver felt a pang. “We don’t know when or if Dig is coming back.”

Felicity’s face fell. “Dig is coming back. Of course he is. When he’s done, he’ll be back with us. You’ll see, Oliver.”

“I hope so, but either way, we’re not going to delay your training.”

“Ummm...I really think we should.”

“Why?”

“Well, I mean, I just don’t think that’s a good idea. When I worked with Dig there was a lot of...touching.”

Oliver felt his own grin spreading. “You don’t think you can handle touching me?”

“As if,” Felicity scoffed. “You’re the one who can’t handle touching me.”

Oliver stepped right into her space. “I assure you, Miss Smoak. I can handle it.” Her face flushed red, and he felt a flood of satisfaction.

“Come on, Oliver, it’s obvious you’re not over me.” She smiled in triumph, realizing that the advantage was again hers.

But Oliver wasn’t in the mood to lose today. And he was serious about teaching her self defense. Later, when he considered what he did next, he would blame her black eye for chasing away all his common sense.

“I’ll have you know I’m seeing someone myself these days.”

She actually stumbled back. “Who?” Her tone was all suspicion.

Right. Who? Damn.

“Susan Williams,” he spat out. Susan WIlliams? WTF? He clenched his hand into a fist to keep himself from slapping his forehead.

“The evil reporter?” Felicity shrieked.

“She’s not evil, just...misunderstood.” Was he having a stroke? He felt like he might be having a stroke.  “So, see, you don’t have to worry about me melting into a heartbroken mess from touching you. We’ve both moved on.”

Felicity’s looked at him like he’d just sprouted a second head. “This sounds made up.”

There was no way out of this that kept his dignity intact. “See for yourself. How about a double date tomorrow?”

“A double date?”

Dignity be damned. “You heard me. You and Javier, me and Susan. Dinner. My place. Obviously, since you can’t cook.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Sounds great. We would love that. And the next one will be at my place. Javi is an excellent cook.”

“Great.”

“Good.”

“I look forward to it”

“Me too.”

“Fine.”

“I’m leaving now.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait,” she said as she walked away.

She left them behind, and Dobby turned to Oliver and howled. “Look, dude, I don’t need your judgement right now.” Dobby howled again, Oliver pursed his lips and fastened the leash. “You’re kind of my best friend right now, so you can just direct that judgement right back at yourself.” He winced and collapsed his forehead on Dobby.

“Why didn’t you stop me?”


	4. Chapter 4

Oliver rolled up the sleeves on his casual white shirt and grabbed an apron before stepping over Dobby to stir the sauce.

“Why are you looking at me like that, man?”

He got nothing, not even a bark in return.

“I know it looks bad. I can admit calling Susan last night ranks as one of my top 25 least pleasant experiences.” She’d laughed at him, asked him if he was using her to make his ex-fiance jealous, decided he was despite his protests, then cackled and said she was in.

Dobby barked.

“No, you don’t know my life. Ranking within my top 25 most unpleasant experiences is saying something. Trust me.”

Dobby flopped on the floor. Doubtfully, if you asked Oliver.

“But, seriously, man, it’s going to be fine. It won’t even be my most awkward double-date.” He remembered the time he and Helena had eaten dinner with Tommy and Laurel and shuddered. “I’m telling the truth.” Oliver gave the sauce a final stir before turning it down to a simmer, then knelt down to ruffle Dobby’s fur. “It could get a little painful, but I bet no one leaves the evening in a murderous rage which is, trust me on this, an improvement for me.”

Dobby nuzzled into him and Oliver grinned. This was a new development for the two of them--Dobby coming to him not only for comfort or protection, but also for affection. It completed melted Oliver’s heart, but he was trying not to be too gushy about it. He had a reputation to maintain.

“Besides, Dobbs, this is about Felicity.” He settled on the floor against the kitchen cabinets, enjoying the weight of Dobby’s head in his lap. Did this make him a dog person? He thought maybe. “And not in the way you’re thinking about Felicity. It’s not about making her jealous, it’s not about spending more time with her. It’s about keeping her safe.”

The thing Oliver was starting to love about having a dog for a best friend instead of a human was that they were incapable of rolling their eyes when they thought you were full of bullshit.

A knock on the door propelled Oliver to his feet. He glanced at the clock on the microwave. No one was due for fifteen more minutes.

He opened the door and there was Susan. She was prettier, he decided, when she wasn’t carrying her minion, Rita.

So maybe he wasn’t fully a dog person yet.

He stepped aside and gestured for Susan to come in. “You’re early,” he said.

“Well, yeah. I figured tonight is going to be something straight out of an 80’s teen movie, and I didn’t want to miss the previews.” She looked around the loft appraisingly. “Nice place you got here, Mr. Mayor. If maybe a little sterile.”

He ignored her comments on his decor or lack thereof. “I told you, I didn’t ask you over to make Felicity jealous.”

“Oh?” She laughed, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. “So it was to finally admit to that secret crush you’ve been harboring for me?”

Oliver was already getting a headache. “You and I got off to a rocky start. I just thought it would be nice for us to put aside our roles as a journalist and a politician and get to know each other as people.”

Susan tapped her finger to her chin. “You’re no politician Oliver. That’s the problem.”

He groaned--could she not let up for even a night?

“Besides, if that’s all you’re interested in, why have your ex and her new ‘friend’ join us at all?”

Oliver was saved from having respond to that by Dobby deciding it was safe to leave the kitchen. To say the dog’s attitude toward Susan hadn’t improved since yesterday would be something of an understatement. There was snarling and growling and acting like he was going to charge...but then not doing it. Susan laughed and, though it felt disloyal, Oliver had to join her. He was reminded of watching _The Wizard of Oz_ with Thea and that scene where the cowardly lion was all “Hold me back, hold me back.”

“Come on man. Chill out.”

Dobby was not chilling out. Oliver was just about to try to bribe him with treats when the doorbell rang. He let Felicity and Javier in and tried to ignore the nerves that were dancing around in his stomach. Show time.

“Felicity, this is Susan. Susan, Felicity.”

Susan shook Felicity’s hand with a big smile. “Felicity Smoak, a pleasure to meet you. Tell me, is it weird having to ring the doorbell at a place that was your home until just a few short months ago?”

Felicity blinked and was, for once, speechless. Oliver jumped in before things could get worse.

“And this is Javier,” Oliver said through gritted teeth; he wasn’t anywhere near ready to forgive the man. He looked back at Felicity, who had obviously used all the makeup in her arsenal to cover her black eye. Oliver could still see the outline of the bruise.  His friendly pat on Javier’s back might’ve landed a little hard. “Javier, this is Susan.” At Dobby’s continued howling, Oliver felt it necessary to add, “And that’s Dobby.”

Javier laughed that easy laugh Oliver had noticed the first time they’d met and turning to Susan said, “Dobby I’ve heard all about. You, however, I am completely unfamiliar with.” He smiled his stupid Prince Charming smile and Oliver could’ve sworn Susan actually blushed.

Great. Now the guy was moving in on his fake girlfriend too.

“Come on, boy you can relax. It’s just new people. You can handle new people. Yes, you can.”

Oliver appreciated Felicity’s optimism, but they all knew Dobby really couldn’t.

“I’ll just go put him in my room for dinner.” He ignored the flash of panic that crossed Felicity’s face as she realized she and Javier were being left alone with Susan. He tugged Dobby’s collar and herded him upstairs.

Dobby was not pleased by this turn of events.

“You brought it on yourself man. This is what happens when you can’t be nice to guests.” Oliver felt a pang at his dog’s high pitched whine when the door was closed and locked, but he pushed it away. He had food, water and an endless supply of pink balls. He’d be fine for a couple of hours.

When he got downstairs and found Susan in full investigator mode, he had to wonder if he could say the same for himself.

“So you were Oliver’s Executive Assistant. And Ray Palmer’s VP. That is quite a varied career for someone of only 27.”

Oliver did not appreciate the insinuation. “Felicity is incredibly bright.”

“No doubt. Still, the people and employers of Star City seem to have a remarkable disregard for professional qualification.”

Felicity’s mouth dropped open and before Oliver could say anything, Javier started laughing. “That’s what I said! But you’re wrong about Lissy. I’ve known her since we were kids. She’s an actual prodigy. She went off to MIT before our senior year.”

Lissy? Javi? Gag.

“You should know that I served Oliver and Ray well.”

So Felicity had found her words.

She realized how that sounded and Oliver watched the splotchy red blush spread up from her chest.

“As a professional, I mean. Not that kind of professional,” she sputtered. “I am...not a prostitute. Which should go without saying. Seriously, is no one going to stop me?”

Everyone stared. Oliver met Felicity’s eyes and gave her a sympathetic look. She glared back.

“I’m a computer science expert,” she grumbled.

“The best,” Javier said patting her head. Oliver was happy to see that he got a glare too.

Speaking of Javier. “So you took Felicity with you to cover the riots?” Oliver looked meaningfully at Felicity’s still-slightly swollen eye.

Javier had the good sense to look ashamed. “You heard what happened? I feel horrible. I should never have agreed to that, but I felt so guilty about almost feeding Lissy peanuts, and-”

“You gave her peanuts?” Oliver was roaring again.

“I take it you’re allergic to peanuts, Felicity?” Susan asked with a smirk.

“Yes. I am. And I am responsible for my own exposure to allergens and for my own decisions about where and when I go places and how I behave once I get there, and I am getting a drink. Susan, do you want a drink, I’ll get you one too.”

“I definitely wouldn’t turn down a drink.”

Felicity stalked off to the kitchen, but Oliver wasn’t through glaring at Javier. To his dismay, the other man looked more amused than intimidated. Susan bumped her hip against his.

“Honey,” she said in a faux-sweet tone, “maybe you should go check on dinner.”

Dinner. Damn it.  He raced into the kitchen just in time to stop the bread from burning. As he pulled it out of the oven, he almost ran into Felicity with a bottle of wine under her arm.

“Your girlfriend is the worst,” she hissed.

“Yeah, and your boyfriend is an idiot,” he answered as she knocked against him on the way out.

So, yeah, things were off to a good start.

oOo

Felicity twirled the pasta around her fork. Damn Oliver. He did this on purpose. He knew his spaghetti and meatballs were her very favorite.

Damn him, damn him, damn him.

_I will not moan_ , she told herself as she raised the fork to her lips.

She moaned. Everyone stared. She blushed.

This evening had developed a definite rhythm.

“I love spaghetti and meatballs,” she said sheepishly, hating Oliver for the self-satisfied grin spreading across his face.

“Nice of you to remember that, Oliver,” Susan said.

Why was every word out of that woman’s mouth laced with flirty snark?

“I try to be thoughtful. I look forward to learning your favorites.” Oliver turned his grin on Susan and suddenly Felicity didn’t think the spaghetti and meatballs were so appetizing.

She rubbed Javi’s thigh and smiled up at him, but he was engrossed in his food.

“This is really good, man. If the mayor thing doesn’t work out, you should consider opening a restaurant.”

Come on, Javier. Did he have to be so nice all the time?

_That’s one of the reasons you like him, remember?_ Right.

“You’re a good cook too, babe.” She turned to Oliver and Susan. “You haven’t lived until you’ve had Javi’s ceviche.”

It was Susan’s turn to moan. “Ceviche? I would die for good ceviche. We have this great place in Coast City. It takes me right back to Peru.”

Javi’s eyes lit up, and he pulled away from her to lean toward Susan. Which Felicity didn’t take personally or anything. She wasn’t ridiculous.

“What were you doing in Peru?”

“Writing about the restoration of Machu Picchu.”

“Are you serious?”

“Why would I make up something like that?”

Javier laughed like she’d just made the funniest joke in the whole world. Felicity, it should be noted, did not roll her eyes.

“I’m doing a photo documentary series on the restoration.”

“That’s amazing. Is it not your favorite place on earth?”

“Yes! It is so nice to hear an American say that. You tell someone you’re working on a story about South America and they immediately assume it must be about-”

“Cartels?” Susan broke in. “The drug war? Poverty?”

“Exactly,” Javier agreed. “See, you get it.”

Felicity’s eyes moved back and forth between Javier and Susan. She caught Oliver doing the same thing, though he didn’t look too bothered, his arms still draped over Susan’s shoulder.

“My plan is to go to Patagonia next.”

“You will love it. Get in touch before you go, I have thousands of tips.”

“I will take you up on that, Javier. And of course, I’ll plan a stop over for ceviche in Peru.”

“You shouldn’t have to wait that long. I’d be happy to make you ceviche one day soon.”

“I would love that.” It was the first sincere sounding thing she had heard Susan say all night.

Felicity needed more wine. Unfortunately, she was watching Susan and Javier when she should’ve been paying attention to the placement of her wine glass. The red liquid spilled down her blouse, and Felicity jumped up, sending her chair flying.

“Oh...frack.” She pulled the ruined (and now transparent) white shirt away from her skin. Her gaze landed immediately on Oliver, and damn him again if he was not obviously trying not to laugh.

“Why don’t you just go upstairs and grab a new shirt. I’ll clean this up.

“You still have clothes here?” Javi was looking up at her with an eyebrow raised.

“Nn-no,” she sputtered.

  
“I meant you could just grab one of my shirts,” Oliver clarified.

Javier and Susan exchanged a look, and wait a second, was that a thing they were doing now? Exchanging looks after knowing each other for an hour? While on dates with other people?

The wine was dripping from her shirt onto their...she meant Oliver’s...floor, so she grabbed napkins and ran toward the stairs to get out of it.

Dobby was curled up on his pink bed and even though she was there to change, Felicity couldn’t resist leaning down to hug him. Dobby didn’t like the smell of the wine and back away.

“Cut me some slack, Dobster. I could really use a hug.” Because she was feeling like she was losing both Javi and Oliver to Susan tonight, which was pathetic and dramatic and tremendously unfair, considering that Oliver hadn’t been hers to lose for months.

“I admit it. I’m jealous,” she told Dobby. “I’m human. It happens. Even when it has no right to happen. Ugh, this sucks, Dobby.” She collapsed beside the dog who once again backed away from her wine-soaked shirt. “Fine, I’m changing.”

She pulled the shirt over head and tossed it into the hamper in the bathroom while toweling off the wine that had soaked into her skin. Going back to the bedroom for a shirt, she looked pointedly at Dobby. “See? It’s gone. Are you happy now?”

She opened the closet and grabbed one of Oliver’s forty thousand white button downs. She should have prepared herself. Suddenly she was surrounded by Oliver’s scent and it was just too much. Was she going to cry? Yep, she was. Damn, she was totally crying. Because that’s what this night needed.

She was berating herself when Dobby clued into the fact that she was upset and leapt into action. As he raced toward her, he knocked a lamp off Oliver’s bedside table and it landed on her pinky toe.

It fucking hurt. Everything hurt. And Dobby was a wreck. She wrapped her arms around his shaggy neck and buried her face in his fur.

“It’s okay buddy. You didn’t mean to hurt me. It was accident. I’m not mad. It’s okay.” She started humming the theme song from _Titanic_ (which she happened to know for a fact was Oliver’s favorite movie) and wasn’t surprised when Dobby began to relax. She took stock of her current situation and laughter joined her tears.

“We’re a mess, Doberella. And it’s only going to get worse. I’m going to have to accept his stupid self-defense training now, you know that, right? His hands will be all over me while he’s falling for someone else. It’s going to be like Sara all over again.” Dobby howled. “You’d like Sara. I like Sara. Everyone does. You’ll meet her one day--she’s...well, that’s sort of confusing, but just trust me-”

They were interrupted by the door flying open to reveal Oliver. “We heard a crash; are you okay?” He was using his own version of the loud voice, but then he took her in- tears, Dobby, hurt toe and all---and he immediately softened. “Are you okay?” He asked again.

_Pull it together, Smoak. You have, like, three remaining strands of dignity. Try to hold onto them._

“The lamp fell on my toe. It hurt.” Okay, that sounded like something a four-year-old would say, but it was A. the truth and B. said in a voice that wasn’t shaking. She was going to give herself that one.

Oliver was by her side in a flash (yes, she heard it) and he gently took her foot in his hand.

Oh, hell no.

She pulled away, and he stepped back like he’d been burned.

“I’m fine,” she said in a voice that was now completely normal. “I’ll be down in just a minute.”

He was assessing her, she could tell, checking to make sure she was telling the truth. Surely she imagined his eyes darkening at the sight of her in his shirt.

_Dignity, Felicity._

He left with a sharp nod, and she turned to Dobby. “Pep talk time. I’ve got this, right? I’m good. Great, even. Maybe Javi and I aren’t build to last, but whoopty-do.” _Whoopty-do???_ Not important, focus on the pep talk. “It could just be a fling. You know, fun? Not everything has to last forever. Don’t look at me like that--I’m not even thirty. And I am great on my own. No, really Dobby, you don’t even know about me. I’m like, the best single person in the history of singledom.” Dobby stared up at her, and Felicity had obviously had too much wine because it felt like this disaster of a dog could see straight through to her soul. “Sure, it would be nice if maybe anyone who loved me, when presented with someone or something else, wouldn’t always so easily choose the something else, but what can I do about it? No, really, I’m asking, what can I do?”

He had no answers. Of course not. Men.

“Okay, well, look, if it’s not asking too much, could you try not to like Susan more than me? I’m not saying you need to bite her or anything, just...don’t forget who introduced you to pink.”

Dobby barked.

“Okay. Good talk. I’m washing face and going back downstairs for more.”

When she got back to the table, the mood had definitely changed. Oliver’s face was grim, reminiscent of his McBroody days. Javi looked lost in thought. Susan was the only one smiling.

The redhead looked around the table, “I think this might be the best date I’ve been on in years.”

oOo

Oliver, 10:45: Didn’t have a chance to remind you at dinner. Tomorrow, 8 pm

Felicity, 10:47: Can’t wait.

Oliver, 10:47: Is that sarcasm?

Felicity, 10:47: Can’t imagine why you’d think that.

Oliver, 10:48: Definitely sarcasm then.

Oliver, 10:49: Fine. You win. We won’t do the self defense training.

Felicity, 10:49: So you admit you can’t handle it.

Oliver, 10:49: This is me sighing, Felicity.

Oliver, 10:50: I still say you’re the one who can’t handle it.

Oliver, 10:50: I really am only trying to make sure you have the tools to protect yourself.

Felicity, 10:55: This is me giving in, Oliver.

Oliver, 10:55: It’s on like donkey kong

Felicity, 10:55: This is me pretending you didn’t just say that.

Oliver, 11:10: You still up?

Felicity, 11:10: Yes, because there’s this annoying guy who won’t stop texting me.

Oliver, 11:11: Did you have fun tonight?

Felicity, 11:12: Did you?

Oliver, 11:15: Goodnight, Felicity.

Felicity, 11:15: Sleep tight, Oliver. And Dobby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll wrap this little story up next Sunday with chapter 5. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say this was going to be the last chapter? I meant chapter 6 would be the last one (I promise; no take-backs). I just realized that this scene didn't really fit with what I have planned for the ending, so it needed to become two chapters. Sorry about that.

“Okay Dobby, before we go in here there are two things you need to keep in mind. 1. You can’t touch anything, man. It could get dangerous. I’m going to need you to be your most chill, understood? I have faith in you. You can prove those dog school jerkoffs wrong. 2. I don’t care what Felicity tells you, we do not call this place the ‘Arrow Cave’ or ‘The Lair’ or anything like that. I’ll allow ‘the bunker’--note the lack of capitalization. I prefer ‘base’. Got it?”

Dobby ran up to the metal door and barked.

“Cool your jets. There’s a security protocol in place.” Oliver unlatched the hidden retinal scanner Felicity and Curtis had installed in an attempt to cut down on the number of surprise visits to the la--base. The door slid open and Oliver winced, fully prepared for Dobby to go bounding in and destroy the place in a single swoop. When nothing happened, he looked down at the dog who had taken a seat next to him and was looking up at Oliver, all  _ Vigilantes first _ .

“Alright. See? You’re getting it. I knew you could handle this, buddy.” 

Oliver took in the condition of the equipment. He’d really neglected the place. “We’re going to start by wiping down the mats.” Oliver reached over to grab a spray bottle of cleaning solution, and Dobby immediately backed away, knocking over the medbay and sending supplies flying.

“Seriously, what was done to that dog?”

He jumped at the sound of Felicity’s voice. If he’d missed her entrance, he was way further off his game than he’d realized. Scrambling to catch vials of antibiotics before they rolled under a cabinet, he answered, “I don’t know, but if I ever find the people who did it, they’re going to regret it.”

When he stood and returned his armful of supplies to the medbay, he saw Dobby cowering in Felicity’s arms.

“It’s okay, Dobby,” he said. “We’re okay.” Turning to Felicity, he motioned to the spray bottle. “I was going to clean the mats, but it upset our man here.”

She kissed the top of Dobby’s head. “Just leave it. I don’t mind a little dirt.” She wiped her palms on her yoga pants and walked over to Oliver. “Ready?”

“Felicity. Why are you wearing the unicorn shirt?”

She looked down at what he knew to be her favorite t-shirt. “I love this shirt. It’s comfy. And if I’m going to humiliate myself, I’m going to do it in clothes that make me feel good.”

“We have a rule against glitter in the bunker.”

She scoffed. “I know of no such rule regarding the Arrow Cave. And if there were one, I’d veto it.”

“The glitter will get all over the mats. I’ll never be able to clean it.”

She shrugged. “Then I guess every time you go after a bad guy you’ll leave a little sparkle of happiness behind. You can think of it as Star City finally living up to its name.”

He recognized her tone as Felicity’s  _ I’m digging in my heels _ voice and knew this wasn’t an argument he was going to win. Besides, she was here, ready to train, which was all he had wanted. Eyes on the prize.

“Fine. Let’s start by talking through the basics.”

“Dig already covered all the basics.”

“Yeah, three years ago.”

“I’m a quick learner with an excellent memory.”

Oliver growled. She wasn’t going to make this easy. Fine. Neither would he. 

In a move so swift, she couldn’t have seen it coming coming, he pulled her wrists behind her back with one arm and used the other to put her in a choke hold. He fully planned to challenge Little Miss Needs No Refresher to show him exactly what she remembered, but unfortunately as soon as he had her pulled flush against his chest he was flooded with memories of how she looked in his shirt last night and---

_ Shit.  _ In an instant he was flat on his back, Felicity on top of him, Dobby snarling in their faces.

“Ummm,” Felicity said in a small voice. “Is that part of the simulation? Are you training me to fend off an attack from a bad guy and his excitable dog? Because that’s not something Dig covered.”

“No,” Oliver said, rolling her off of him and sitting up to rub his head. “Damn, Dobby. I wasn’t really hurting her. Come on man, you know me better than that.”

Felicity pulled the dog into her lap. “That settles is. Dobby has PTSD, Oliver.”

No shit. Locating Dobby’s previous owners moved higher on Oliver’s Green Arrow priority list with each passing day. Oliver tentatively reached out a hand to his dog, feeling his heart sink when Dobby recoiled. “But what do I do about it? Do they have therapists for dogs?’

Felicity made a face. “I don’t...think so. But maybe? The dog service industry does seem to be growing, so…. But for starters, I don’t think we can do self-defense with Dobby watching. And it’s also really important for Dobby to get comfortable with Arrow-you. So probably what’s best is just waiting until Dig--”

“Felicity, are you exploiting my dog’s issues to weasel your way out of our deal.”

“I do not weasel. I’m just looking out for--”

“I have an idea.” Oliver lept to his feet and, with the help of a little Celine Dion, convinced Dobby to come to him. “I’m going to take him to...uh...my old bedroom.” Oliver hated that place, the room where he’d slept after he and Felicity had split. It wouldn’t hold any bad connotations for Dobby, though. It would just be a room where he could relax for a bit while Oliver and Felicity trained. 

He led Dobby to the room. “This isn’t a punishment, I promise.”

Dobby whined.

Oliver pulled back the comforter on the bed to reveal a pink chenille blanket. Yes, he’d taken it from the loft. It was really soft, okay? And at that time, it had still smelled like Felicity. “Look, here’s something pink.” Dobby bounded over to the blanket and started writhing around on it happily.

“Could we just try to keep this between the two of us?”

The sound of a throat clearing behind him let him know that was out of the question.

“I wondered what had happened to that blanket.”

He didn’t like the smug note in her voice.

“Dobby problem solved for now. Let’s get back to work.”

As soon as they stepped foot on the mats, he had her back in the chokehold. He felt a swell of pride when she raked her ankle down his instep, twisted her arm free and caught him sharply in the ribcage.

“Good jo--” And then he was bent double. When he could breathe again, he glared at her. “The groin kick was unnecessary.”

“I wanted to incapacitate you.”

“You are tiny and have vehemently denied wanting to be proficient in street fighting--” She started to interrupt, but he held up a hand and put on his best Felicity voice, “ _ I’m a hacker, not a brawler; I fight with my brains and not my fists.”  _ He was not above using her own words against her. “So that means your one and only goal when involved in combat is to get away. Which you could have done once you spun out of the choke hold. Coming back for a groin kick only gave me another opportunity to grab you.”

She grinned. “But you didn’t.”

“Fine.” He carefully wrapped his hands loosely around her throat. “Now I’m choking you. What do you do?” He, for one, was not going to think about how this was the most he’d touched her for months and how good it felt to have his hands on her again. He wasn’t thinking that at all. Because that would’ve been kind of fucked up.

She tried thrusting her arms up to break his grip, but that didn’t work.

“You’re taking too much time to think. This needs to happen on instinct.” 

He barely had the words out of his mouth when she went limp, throwing off his balance just enough for the arm thrust to work. She finished with another kick to the groin.

“Are you kidding me?”

She shrugged. “And then I run away.”

When this was over, he was going to have a very intimate evening with an ice pack. But it wasn’t over yet. He swept his leg out without warning, knocking her feet from under her and landing her flat on her back on the mats. Without thinking, he straddled her and pinned her hands above her head. When his brain roared back to life he realized his face was inches from her and if he rolled his hips just a little bit….

“Now what do you do?” He was not impressed with the choked quality of his words.

She was staring at him, eyes on fire, and he was so not looking at the way her chest heaved under that damn glittery unicorn shirt. This is about ensuring her safety, he reminded himself; not indulging in lust-filled thoughts about his ex while she plotted one more way to kick him in the nuts.

“Uncle.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

She wiggled underneath him. “Chicken. Whatever it is I’m supposed to say to get you off of me.”

“Sorry.” He rolled to the side immediately and they sat on the mats--next to each other, but not facing one another. “Sorry,” he said again.

She pulled her knees to her chest and leaned her head on them, facing him. “What are we doing here, Oliver?”

“This is a really bad idea, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. It’s...we’re...it’s all still too fresh, and even though we’re seeing other people--”  
Shit. The one thing he’d wanted to her to know was that he’d never lie to her again, yet here he was, doing it again. Proving her right for being through with him. “I’m not seeing Susan.”  
Felicity looked confused. “You guys broke up? She seemed like the only person having a good time last night.”

His head dropped to knees. “We were never seeing each other.”

Felicity jumped to her feet and pointed at him. “I KNEW that made no sense!” But then the triumph fell from her face. “Why would you lie about that?”

She  _ knew  _ why. “You wouldn’t agree to this,” he gestured to the training area, “otherwise. I shouldn’t have lied. Again. I’m sorry.” He rubbed his forefinger against his thumb. “Are you going to leave?”

“No.” She joined him back on the mats with a sigh. “But why was this suddenly so important to you? You never cared about training me before.”

“I  _ always _ cared about it.”

But she wasn’t buying that. “I specifically remember you arguing with Dig about it.”

He swallowed his pride. It didn’t go down easy. “For those first three years, I couldn’t risk touching you. And you were supposed to be tech support, not out in the field, and even when you were, you were supposed to be with me.” He hit his chest. “I was supposed to do the fighting for you.” He expected her to interrupt him, but she just listened, her face not giving anything away. “Every time something happened that didn’t fit that narrative, I told myself that it was a one-off and that it would never happen again. And then, last year...the touching wasn’t an issue anymore, but...I mean, training would mean that something could happen to you, and I just couldn’t…. But then something DID happen to you--”

“Self-defense wouldn’t have prevented--”

“I know, but....and Laurel died.” He felt like his lungs were collapsing inside his chest. Felicity reached over and squeezed his hand. “You’re here. You chose to stay, and I need you here. I just...I promised myself that when we came back, I would stop standing in the way of you being able to save yourself.”

“Wow.” Felicity gave a small smile. “That was quite a speech, Mr. Queen.”

“I thought it was time to tell the truth.”

“I guess it’s true what they say: dog parenthood matures you.”

He chuckled. “But this still isn’t going to work, is it?”

She shook her head. “I could take a self-defense class at the Y until Dig comes back.”

“Those are crap classes, Felicity.”

She shrugged. “So I’ll add in some kickboxing. Ooh, and maybe I could get a taser.”

“I have a feeling you’d be a real menace with a taser.”

“I’ll give you that. The point is,” she clapped a hand on his shoulder, “that I also need to take responsibility for my own safety. I’ll figure something out. In the meantime, let’s stick to our traditional roles in The Lair.”

“You mean bunker.”

“I mean Arrow Cave.”

“Fel--”

They were interrupted by the most god-awful howl. It was a sound Oliver knew well.

“Go get your dog. The magic of the pink blanket has worn off, and I think you probably have some repair work to do on that relationship.” 

He watched Felicity giddily sit down in front of her computers and crack her knuckles. “I’ve missed you, my babies.”

The howling started again, and Oliver left Felicity to her networks. When he opened the door to the little bed nook, Dobby was in the middle of the bed surrounded by the now two pieces of the chenille blanket.

“I don’t know why you’re looking at me all accusingly. You’re the one who ripped my blanket.” 

More howling.

“I know I upset you. I’m going to be more careful about that.” 

Even more howling, but Dobby did let Oliver pat his head, so progress was being made.

Oliver snapped for the dog to come over to the threshold and Dobby obeyed, though somewhat cautiously. Oliver knelt beside him.

“Look,” he whispered. “She’s okay. See? She can take care of herself. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Dobby nuzzled into him. Even though Oliver’s plan had been a complete failure & it was probably time to accept that he wasn’t going to get the girl, he was really starting to believe that somehow, everything was going to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next Sunday we'll wrap this up (I swear). In the meantime, if you're interested in a much-darker-in-tone take on post-season 4, I'll start posting a new fic later this evening. That one's titled Wrap the Dark Around Me. It won't have dogs, but it will have Bratva.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally, the end. This was a fun little story to write. Thank you for sticking with it.

Someday, someone--Oliver hoped it would be one of his grandkids, but it might just be Dig or Thea or even Lance--would ask him, “But what was the turning point?” And Oliver would answer, “It was a Tuesday. Just a normal Tuesday.”

So, yeah, it was a Tuesday and Oliver was at City Hall signing things. Best he could tell, “signing things” was the number one job duty of any mayor. Dobby was hanging out by his feet, occasionally lifting his head for a little pat, because that was what they did now, and everything was okay. Dobby was done with the incessant howling, Oliver no longer felt like he was walking around with his chest blown open, and Felicity showed up every night to help Oliver put away bad guys.

And everything was fine.

So when Dobby bolted around to the front of Oliver’s desk and growled with his hair literally standing on end, Oliver was concerned.

Like, surveying the room for objects to be used for makeshift weapons, concerned.

When, a second later, there was a knock on the door, both Oliver and Dobby were primed for battle. Meaning, Oliver was primed for battle and Dobby was diving to find a hiding place where he could wait out the battle.

It was only Susan. She gave them both a once-over before rolling her eyes. She had Rita with her on a blood red leash, and Oliver was positive he heard the pomeranian sniff at them dismissively. Dobby ducked back under the sofa where he’d hidden, but didn’t stop growling.

“Oliver. Dobby. Always a pleasure.”

“I’m sorry, Susan, but did you have an appointment?”  
“I’d just assumed after our little dinner date I didn’t need one.”

Oliver gave a tight laugh. “Well, you know what they say about assuming, and I’m pretty busy here,” he gestured to the stacks of paper on his desk, “so….”

“You’ll want to hear what I have to say. Mayor Queen.”

“Fine. Ms. Williams, what can I do for you?”

She sat in his comfiest chair and pulled devil dog into her lap. “You can wish me luck.”

He raised an eyebrow. “With what?”

“My newest assignment. Back in Coast City. Apparently there’s some nutjob claiming he has a magic green ring that lets him fly and helps him defeat evil.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Don’t I know it, but the city is eaten up with it, and I have to follow the story.”

“So...you’re leaving?” Oliver bit back a smile. “Well, Susan,” he stood and extended his hand to her, jerking it back when Rita tried to bite it. “It’s been nice knowing you.”

“Oh, did you think I’d leave without filing a single story about you?” She held up a manila folder. “No way, Queen.”

Oliver’s heart sank as he reached across and took the folder. He should’ve known things were going along too smoothly. He opened the it and braced himself. He skimmed the copy once, then went back and read it again. “But...this is...nice.”

Susan smirked. “So surprised. You really don’t think very much of me, do you Oliver?”

Dobby popped his head out to growl again.

“Chill out Dobby. We’re all good over here.”

Still, Oliver was suspicious. He studied her, trying to figure out her angle.

“Look, I didn’t find anything okay? Nothing I can prove. I have my suspicions...suspicions the people of Star City would have to be idiots not to share. Although, I’m not sure ‘intelligent’ would be the first word I’d use to describe the remaining residents of Star City--”

“Hey! Watch it.”

She laughed. “Come on, Oliver. You’d either have to have a death wish or be really stupid to stay in this town at this point.”

“Or you’d have to really care.”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Or that. And for what it’s worth, I think Oliver Queen really cares and that’s why I wrote that article.” She pointed at the paper in his hand. “My other suspicions, well, I’m comfortable keeping them to myself for now.”

“Thank you, Susan.” He stood to once again try to shake her hand. This time, Rita seemed fine with it, but Dobby wasn’t. He bounded out from under the couch and leapt frantically between them to prevent them from touching.

Susan shook her head and turned to walk away. She was almost to the door when she whirled back around.

“Can I offer you some advice?”

Oliver, despite his improved attitude toward Susan was preoccupied with calming Dobby and wasn’t really in the mood. “Could you not?”

Ha. Like that would stop her.

“That dog has mental health problems. Take it to a vet and get it medication.” Dobby growled at her. Oliver wanted to do the same. Susan was unfazed. “And Felicity--”

Oliver did goran this time. “I cannot tell you how uninterested I am in your thoughts on Felicity.”

“And I can’t tell you how uninterested I am in how uninterested you are. So, Felicity...for the girl who got away, she sure didn’t go far. If I were a betting woman, and I am--I come from a long line of bookies, actually--I wouldn’t bet against the two of you.”

And just like that, Susan Williams became one of Oliver Queen’s favorite people.

But that wasn’t where Tuesday ended. After his goodbye with Susan, and after talking Dobby down from the edge of neurosis, there was still the Arrow and the bunker and Felicity.

There was still the turning point.

He didn’t get to base until a little after 8. It was later than usual--Susan’s visit and the subsequent Dobby-calming had put him behind--and he assumed his lateness was the reason Felicity was annoyed with him. Or at least acting annoyed with him. She was engrossed in her computers when he arrived and she didn’t even look up as she said, “I’ve texted you some addresses. Robberies. Possible gang activity.”

After suiting up but before he left, he noticed that she had pulled Dobby into her lap. It looked kind of funny, this huge dog sitting on such a little person. Dobby looked at him from over her shoulder and Oliver thought that if Dobby were human right now, he’d shrug and say, “What can I do, man? She needs me.”

It was an easy night, and he really didn’t need Felicity much on comms. Occasionally, when he did need her, her replies were...not short, exactly; just distant. He did hear her talking to Dobby and sometimes making kissing noises, so her irritation with Oliver didn’t extend to his dog.

When Oliver returned, he was high off so many easy wins; it made him bold. He showered, changed, marched right up to Felicity who was still cuddling with  _ his _ dog and said, “I was only a little late.”

“Huh?”

“I was only a little late. I had a million things to sign. So lay off.”

Dobby growled. In hindsight, it was probably a warning for Oliver to take his own advice about laying off.

“What are you talking about?”

“You. Being mad at me.”

Felicity looked down at Dobby like maybe he had the answers. “I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re acting like it.”

“No I’m not.”

Suddenly, Oliver felt a little less certain. If she was going to deny being mad at him, what was he supposed to? Now he just looked like an idiot. He decided to go with a non-sequitur, maybe throw her off. “Susan’s going back to Coast City.”

She scoffed. Bitterly, he might add. “Yeah, I know.”

“You...do?” Had she become friends with Susan?

As it turned out, no.

“Mmmhmm. Javi’s going too. He decided his ‘American City on the Rise’ project would be better as ‘American Cities on the Rise’. Guess which city he wants to photograph next?”

Oliver winced. “Coast City?”

She nodded, then buried her face in Dobby’s fur.

“So you guys will do the long-distance thing,” he said. Cheerfully. For her. Even if that was the last thing in the world he thought they should do.

Felicity sighed and raised her head. Oliver couldn’t stop himself from reaching over and brushing the Dobby hairs off her face.

“No. We won’t. I hear he and Susan have plans to get ceviche, though.”

He tried to wince again, but he doubted it was very convincing. It was harder than you’d think, looking pained when your heart is soaring. “I’m sorry you’re hurt.” That, at least, was the truth.

“I’m not hurt,” she said so sharply it made Dobby’s ears prick. “I’m not an idiot. My cute friend from high school was never going to be ‘the one’. This isn’t  _ Dawson’s Creek _ , Oliver.”

“Sorry. I was more of an  _ O.C.  _ guy.”

And there was that laugh he loved. Dobby’s ears settled down.

“When he was breaking up with me, he kept going on and on about Susan’s interest in Patagonia. Like the fact that I’d never been was some sort of character flaw.” She cupped Dobby’s face in her hands like she was talking to him, not Oliver. “It’s not that I don’t want to go to Patagonia, I just never really thought about it. And it’s not like I’ve had a lot of time for traveling. Well, except for last summer. I saw a lot of cool places. Just as cool as Patagonia, and I might’ve wanted to go there too.” Her face fell and took Oliver’s heart right along with it. “He just never asked.”

Oliver found himself thinking, “Yeah, Javier should’ve asked her.” Which was completely counterproductive to his purposes. He was just mad that she was sad.

Love was very confusing. This was something he should talk out with Dobby.

“Well?”

Felicity was looking at him expectantly, and he’d obviously missed something.

“Umm...could you repeat the question?”

Normally she’d be frustrated that he hadn’t heard her the first time, but she just looked at him with that watery gaze and asked in a small voice, “Have you ever been to Patagonia, Oliver?”

“No. Other than, well, my 5 years away and last summer with you, I never went anywhere really interesting. I was just following parties. Billionairehood was wasted on me.” But he’d take her to Patagonia. Right now if she wanted to go. He didn’t say that part. Dobby was sending pretty strong “Be cool, man” vibes and Oliver was trying to pay attention.

Felicity groaned and covered her face again. “I’m sorry Oliver. This...I shouldn’t be talking about this with you--”

“No, it’s okay--”

“It’s really not. I have got to get a girlfriend.”

“Or a dog,” Oliver offered. “They’re pretty good listeners.”

Felicity scrubbed Dobby’s neck. “I’ve always been pretty ‘meh’ on dogs...but I do love this guy.”

“Hey,” Oliver brightened. “What about a trial run?”

“Explain.”

“I have to go to Gotham on business the next two Saturdays in a row. Dobby can’t handle a cross-country flight. I was going to kennel him, but he would be so much happier with you. You could keep him---see what it’s like to be a dog owner.”

“Oliver, are you trying to bribe me into cheering up by offering me temporary guardianship of your dog?”

“Is it working?”

“Yes.”

“Then, yes.”

They both grinned. And for Oliver, a point was turned.

oOo

Now, if that same person--a grandchild, Thea, Baby Sara, whoever--were to ask Felicity about turning points, she wouldn’t say it was a Tuesday, like Oliver. Because for Felicity, the turning point would always be that following Sunday.

Everything was not okay. Everything was bad.

“So, so bad,” Felicity said trying to herd Dobby into the car. His fur was sort of flying up in little Dobby clouds and even through her anger, she felt a pang of guilt--apparently Dobby’s hair fell out even more when he was stressed. Which he was. And it was his own fault. Not hers. She was the victim here. She would not pity him.

Ugh, she had so much pity for him it nearly bent her double. Seriously, it was a struggle to remain upright when he whined and hid his face.

No. Nope. She would be strong. And angry. Angry felt good.

She slammed the car door behind Dobby the Demon and marched back into her house, but not before cutting her bare foot on a fallen twig. Good. More justification for her anger. She went to the hall closet and dug around in the back until she found what she was looking for her--her flats with the silly panda heads on them. She’d been meaning to get rid of those things for years; good thing she hadn’t. She slipped them on and marched back out to the car, hoping Dobby hadn’t had time to do any serious damage.

She drove back to the loft without looking at him. When she arrived, pulling a very reluctant Dobby (who knew what he had done!) behind her, Oliver was waiting for them in sweatpants and a t-shirt with a big old grin on his face. He made barefoot look good. Really good.

Nope. She would not be charmed.

“It’s my favorite people! How did it go?”

Then he looked at her and she watched his smile fade.

“Not so good.”

“What happened?”

Dobby ran to him and whined. Coward.

“He ate my shoes.”

Oliver groaned. “Dobby! What happened, man? I thought you were over chewing everything!” He turned back to Felicity. “I’m so sorry. Which pair? I’ll replace them.”  
“No, Oliver, he got up in the middle of the night and ate ALL my shoes.” She kicked up her panda-clad foot. “Well, except these.”

Oliver laughed. “I’ve missed those. They’re my favorites.”

Suddenly (maybe irrationally? maybe?) Felicity’s chest tightened with anger. No, not anger. Rage. “Are you laughing? It isn’t funny.”

Oliver looked at her like she had three heads. “Are you angry? Calm down. I’ll buy you more shoes.”

Like that was how it worked. Like every single problem was solved with the flick of a credit card. Like it didn’t even matter what she’d lost. “Don’t bother.” She turned to go. “But I can’t keep Dobby next weekend. Or ever again.”

Oliver reached out and grabbed her shoulder. “Felicity, wait. I thought you loved Dobby.” He gestured to the dog all big eyed and whining behind him.

She was absolutely not going to cry. “I do love Dobby, but...it’s too much.” She looked at Dobby. “You know it’s too much!” He whimpered, and she felt like shit.

“Okay, I understand, but you know his story. He was just scared. He was afraid I wouldn’t come back and he would lose me. Now he knows that’s not true. He can do better. Next time will be better.” He knelt down to hug his dog. “He really loves you.”

“And I told you, I really love Dobby.” She threw her hands up. “But what do I do, Oliver? Just keep taking him back? What if I bring him over next week, and he destroys everything, and I am left with nothing?” She was shouting. Neighbors were starting to peek out into the hall. Screw off, nosy neighbors.

“Dobby’s sorry, Felicity. Look at him. He’s really sorry.”  
“Me too, but I can’t.”

She was really going to go this time, but then he grabbed her hand, and what was it with him and touching her?

“I know the shoe thing was really big--”

“Huge.”

“Okay, huge. But...I mean, weren’t there any good things that happened this weekend?”

“Yes. Of course. We played catch and I got more exercise than I’ve had in the last year, which gave me an excuse to order a sundae instead of just a plain ice cream cone, and he gives good snuggles, and he’s a great listener--”

“See? He’s not a bad dog. He just made a mistake. He can do better. Felicity...you’re his person.” Dobby barked, as if to emphasize the point. 

But Felicity...she’d learned to be so, so wary of giving out second chances. “He’s not a bad dog,” she said, giving Dobby a sad smile. “But he’s not good for me.”

The look on Oliver’s face physically hurt her, but she knew she was doing the right thing. 

Finally, he found his breath and spoke. “Well...you shouldn’t give up on finding a good dog. They’re not all like Dobby. You’ll find a better one.”

She swallowed around a lump in her throat and nodded. Dobby leaned his head forward for her to pet--a sort of peace offering--but she couldn’t. She had to go.

She raced to her car, slammed the door behind her, and left them both behind.

She made it five miles before she reached her turning point.

oOo

They stood together and watched her go. Dobby was whining and rubbing against Oliver’s leg.

“Why did you have to do that? You couldn’t keep it together for a one weekend? She loved you, she let you into her house, and you..you wrecked it? What is wrong with you?” He hadn’t realized he’d been getting louder and louder, but now Dobby was trembling away.

Damn.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, damn. Oliver wanted to punch something, but that would only scare Dobby more, so he raked his hand down his face and breathed in deeply. He slid down the back of the sofa and motioned gently for Dobby to join him. It took a minute, but Dobby did, and Oliver wrapped his arms around the dog.

“It’s okay. You’re not bad. You’re not bad.”

Dobby snuggled in close.

“You do give good snuggles, man,” Oliver met Dobby’s eye. “She’ll still want to be your friend. And that will be okay. It will still be good. But you can’t go and do what you did and expect everything to stay the same. That’s not how it works, Dob.”

Dobby whimpered.

“It will be okay. We’re still good.”

There was a knock at the door, and Oliver almost ignored it. Probably a neighbor complaining about the noise, or trying to get some gossip. They could go to hell. He just wanted to sit here with his dog.

Dobby had other ideas. He started running between Oliver and the door, barking frantically.

Fine. The nosy neighbor won.

Oliver flung open the door, all prepared with his growly voice only to find...Felicity. Felicity, with tears streaming down her face, pushing past him into the loft.

“I don’t  _ want _ another dog. I want Dobby. I love Dobby.”

And Oliver knew all about second chances. And he knew this was what it meant to get one. Hope rose in his chest.

“Dobby’s sorry,” he said, gesturing to dog jumping around her. “He’s spent the whole time you were gone planning on ways to be better.”

“All fifteen minutes?” She laughed and wiped at her running nose.

Oliver looked at his watch. “All sixteen minutes, forty three seconds. The entire time.”

Felicity bit her lip. “Well, can he promise to never destroy anything else again?”

Oliver raised his thumb and gently slipped her lip out from between her teeth, then cupped her cheek. “Felicity,” he whispered, “who can honestly promise that? But Dobby  _ loves _ you. You’re his person. He will always try to do better for you. He will always choose you.”

She was crying, and he couldn’t wipe away the tears fast enough. He took his other hand and placed it flat on his chest. “I’m sorry. I’ve spent every second since you left thinking of ways to be better. I love you. You’re my person. I will always, always choose you.”

She took a moment, her eyes flicking between Oliver and Dobby, and he saw it in the ways she stood taller, the moment decided to be brave. The moment she decided to forgive. She was in his arms, and he was kissing her with everything in him, and he was promising her--promising her that he would spend a lifetime proving he was worthy of that moment.

oOo

No one would ever ask Dobby. Why would they? Dog’s couldn’t talk. But if they ever did, and if he had been able to respond, he would have said his people were both wrong--the turning point was on a Thursday. A completely normal Thursday, when a mayor with sad eyes and a silly outfit decided a dog everyone else had already given up on was worth one more shot. That one thing changed everything for all of them. That was where their path to being a family began.

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe another chapter or two for this one. Hope you enjoy!


End file.
